New book for fans of Shelburne Falls resident Emily Arsenault

Shelburne Falls resident Emily Arsenault, whose second book, “In Search of the Rose Notes,” was acknowledged by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 10 Best Mysteries of 2011, is back with the release of her third book, “Miss Me When I’m Gone” published by William Morrow.

Like her first two novels, Arsenault feels that “Miss Me When I’m Gone” is “more about the emotional experiences of the characters than they really are about the whodunit.”

“Miss Me When I’m Gone,” released on July 31, follows Jamie, who’s asked to be the literary executor for her college friend Gretchen. Associated Press writer Michelle Wiener said of the book, “There’s much to recommend here.”

“A young writer,” Arsenault said, “Gretchen is the author of a country music-themed memoir titled ‘Tammyland,’ who dies under mysterious circumstances.”

Told in alternating narratives between real-time and excerpts from Gretchen’s memoir, Jamie finds and explores Gretchen’s newest manuscript about the murder of her biological mother, causing Jamie to believe the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Gretchen, to be murder as well.

Not a stranger to the realm of alternating narratives, Arsenault said, “It’s not something I consciously do each time I start a book” but something that “just happens.”

“I tend to lean toward stories that have two voices. I’m not sure why. But while writing the draft, I always enjoy going back and forth between the different narratives.”

Set in the world of country music, the fictional memoir within “Miss Me When I’m Gone,” “Tammyland,” juxtaposes and integrates Gretchen’s life and failed marriage with the lives of her favorite female country music stars including Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.

Of the country influence, Arsenault said, “I’ve been a fan of classic country for many years. I’m particularly interested in the lives of the women of classic country.

“All of them overcame a great deal of adversity and had to break gender barriers in the music industry to become the legends that they are,” Arsenault said.

Although “Miss Me When I’m Gone,” is a little bit country, readers who aren’t fans of the genre shouldn’t shy away, because it’s not a book that is primarily targeted at country fans.

“I think readers who aren’t fans will enjoy learning a little bit about the women featured in the book. Even if you don’t like the music, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette — and their contemporaries — have had interesting lives. And I don’t think that information overwhelms the book.

“Additionally, the mystery element will appeal to readers who aren’t country music fans,” she said.

When asked what advice she’d give to new writers seeking publication, Arsenault said, “Write a story that you think is compelling, and worry about selling it later. And when you are trying to sell it, try not to get discouraged by those first few rejections. Keep sending out your work. It’s a very subjective business.”

As for her own writing process, Arsenault said, “I don’t usually start from the very beginning.

“To start, I write whatever scenes are clearest in my head first. Then I go back, start from the beginning, and write the scenes that lead to, or connect the scenes I’ve already written,” she said, adding, “My final revision is always a very different book from the first draft.”

With the increasing popularity of book series, a lot of authors have flocked to writing epics and rendezvous. As for whether or not Arsenault will ever do a book series, don’t count on it, but she has had requests.

“I prefer reading stand-alones to series books, so I don’t think in terms of series with my writing, either,” she said.

As for the requests, many readers would like Arsenault’s character Mona, from her debut novel “The Broken Teaglass,” to have her own story.

“It’s not likely that I will,” Arsenault said of this request. “I feel like her story belongs solely in that book and it would be very weird for me to take her out of that context.”

A New England native, Arsenault worked for Merriam-Webster in Springfield for four years as a lexicographer. She also dabbled in teaching and served in the Peace Corps for two years with her husband Ross Grant. The two recently welcomed a new edition to their family, a baby girl named Eliza.

Arsenault will be doing a book reading and signing on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn. This book is also available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com